Despite The Higher Price, Swiss Miss Has A Winner With Their Mint Premium Cocoa!

The Good: Tastes good, Easy to prepare
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Comparatively pricier than other Swiss Miss cocoas
The Basics: Delicious, though a little more expensive than most Swiss Miss products, Mint is worth the added expense.


It always surprises me when a brand that I associate more with value than anything else releases a premium product. When it comes to hot cocoas, common brands like Swiss Miss and Carnation are ones I think of as being inexpensive and basic. So, when my wife found us a box of Mint Premium Cocoa, we were pleasantly surprised. As one who loves mint, this made a great gift for me when she presented it to me.

The Premium Cocoa Collection of Swiss Miss hot chocolates seems to be Swiss Miss's excuse to charge more for hot cocoa as the boxes tend to contain two to four fewer packages of cocoa for an average of a dollar more. In the case of Mint, it is well worth it, though I would still prefer a more environmentally responsible package, like a canister with a scoop.

Basics

Swiss Miss Mint mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their premium cocoa line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a small six oz. box, containing six one ounce packets of hot chocolate. Trading on the flavor of peppy mint flavoring, as opposed to the usual milk chocolate, Swiss Miss created a lighter flavor for their hot chocolate drink. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a pretty wonderful hot chocolate beverage, likely to become a favorite with mint and cocoa consumers alike!

Ease of Preparation

Swiss Miss Mint mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot chocolate products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of six into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Mint does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a delicious beverage.

Taste

The Mint cocoa has a delightfully strong aroma. There is a recognizable peppermint smell to the beverage that beckons to fans of mint. The chocolate of the cocoa actually has a muted quality that is not as noticeable as the mint scent.

The scent is a pretty good foreshadowing of the flavor of this particular premium cocoa. The mint flavor is light and immediate followed by a drier, more obvious chocolate flavor. The chocolate flavor acts more like an aftertaste that chases the initial peppermint bite. The chocolate taste dominates after the first second or two and it lingers on the tongue for several minutes thereafter.

Interestingly, as the Mint Premium Cocoa cools down, it takes on a more distinctive and recognizable mint flavoring. The mint flavor only dominates as the cocoa gets lukewarm.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Mint is a chocolately drink, so any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 120 calories, twenty-five of which are from fat. With two and a half grams of fat, this drink is not a great beverage choice for dieters, but it could be much, much worse. This Mint hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 130 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Mint is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Mint mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in early November 2012, has an expiration date in June 29 2014, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Mint mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss Mint is a good hot cocoa that could pack more mint flavor (or a more distinct chocolate flavor) in for the price, but it is still worth picking up and enjoying for anyone who likes hot cocoa!

For other Swiss Miss hot chocolate reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Mocha Cappuccino
Indulgent Collection French Vanilla
Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Indulgent Collection Dark Chocolate Sensation

7.5/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Bland Turns Vile With Swiss Miss’s No Sugar Added Hot Cocoa.

The Good: Not unhealthy, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Terrible taste, Aftertaste
The Basics: Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added cocoa is arguably the worst cocoa in their product line.


Every now and then, I find myself doing something that I would classify (benignly) as “uncharacteristically ridiculous.” Stocking up on Swiss Miss No Sugar Added hot cocoa when it was on clearance would easily be one of those events. And yet, recently, when the local grocery store was putting all sorts of hot chocolate on clearance, I picked up two boxes of No Sugar Added and a canister as well (I recall it quite clearly, I said to myself, “I’m always panning products that are not environmentally responsible; if I use the canister, I can eliminate that argument.”).

Creating the Swiss Miss No Sugar Added cocoa from the canister does not improve it in any way. I have not had a cocoa this bad since Forelli’s (reviewed here!). All that saved this cocoa from a similarly dismal rating was the fact that this, while unpalatable, did not make me feel ill to drink.

Basics

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their Sensible Sweets line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard 4.4 oz. box, containing eight .55 ounce packets of hot cocoa. Swiss Miss created a disturbingly sour hot drink with the No Sugar Added flavor. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a lackluster drink that does not become more flavorful as it cools.

Ease Of Preparation

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot cocoa products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the No Sugar Added does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a beverage.

Taste

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added smells like little more than hot water with a somewhat heady steam. This hot cocoa does not smell particularly like anything even remotely chocolate-flavored, instead bearing the aroma of warm milk. This is hardly a warming or inviting scent and it prepares the consumer for a thoroughly underwhelming taste experience.

On that, the Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added hot cocoa does not disappoint! The No Sugar Added cocoa roles over the tongue with an initially dry, chocolate flavor . . .that quickly turns sour. In fact, the type of sour is a very particular one; this tastes like a sugar substitute’s sourness and that is utterly unpleasant. This beverage has all of the charm of curdled milk, despite the potential health benefits.

The No Sugar Added hot cocoa leaves the mouth dry and craving something better to drink. The only way I have found to salvage this beverage is by adding a flavor shot.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added is a not-really-chocolate flavored drink that might seek to improve your health by encouraging consumers to avoid drinking it! One serving - a single packet - has only 60 calories, ten of which are from fat. Despite being a No Sugar Added drink, this not carb free; it has 11 carbohydrates. This No Sugar Added hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (30% of the RDA!) and Iron (a mere 6% RDA), and it has 160 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss No Sugar Added is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are modified whey, nonfat milk, and cocoa. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher. It is not Vegan-compliant, obviously.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in late March 2012, has an expiration date of December 23 2013, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry. Outside them tasting gross, I’m not sure why these were on clearance!

Cleaning up Swiss Miss No Sugar Added mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss No Sugar Added is not worth trying, not worth consuming and certainly not worth stocking up on.

For other Swiss Miss hot chocolate reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Sensible Sweets Fat Free
Indulgent Collection Mocha Cappuccino
Indulgent Collection French Vanilla

1/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Weak And Not Enough To Give Up Fat For, Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Fat Free Hot Cocoa Leaves Me Unimpressed.

The Good: Fairly healthy/Not unhealthy, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Not the most robust flavor, Aftertaste
The Basics: Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Fat Free cocoa is mediocre on the taste front, making it hard to sell me on the health benefits.


Sometimes, I am utterly unsurprised when I review something that I purchased on clearance. Usually, it is a product that has a niche consumer appeal. Many products I have bought on clearance, I have looked at and asked myself, “what were they thinking making this?” With Swiss Miss Fat Free hot cocoa, I did not ask that; it made sense to me.

But, having had two boxes worth of this product, bought on clearance, I am not at all surprised it ended up on the discount rack. It is pretty bad.

The Sensible Sweets Fat Free Swiss Miss hot chocolate could have been a triumph – as one who is trying to eat and drink healthier these days, I hoped it would be! – but it is, instead, a pretty solid disappointment for anyone who loves hot chocolate.

Basics

Swiss Miss Fat Free mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their Sensible Sweets line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard 4.4 oz. box, containing eight .55 ounce packets of hot cocoa. Is it possible Swiss Miss made their product fat free simply by eliminating half the serving size? Regardless, Swiss Miss created a surprisingly bland hot drink with the Fat Free flavor. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a lackluster drink that does not become more flavorful as it cools.

Ease Of Preparation

Swiss Miss Fat Free mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot cocoa products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Fat Free does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a beverage.

Taste

Swiss Miss Fat Free smells exceptionally mild. This hot cocoa does not smell particularly like anything even remotely chocolate-flavored. Instead, it smells much like the dishwater smelled when I would clean my chocolate-making supplies when I made chocolate a few years back. This is hardly a warming or inviting scent.

The Sensible Sweets Fat Free hot cocoa is entirely bland with its initial flavor. With a flavor of heavily diluted hot chocolate (this flavor tastes like the standard milk chocolate was made with about four times as much water as one is supposed to add), this is not a terrible drink, just a very weak one. At least, it is simply weak for the first thirty seconds of consumption.

After about half a minute, the Fat Free hot cocoa takes on sickly sweet, very dry taste that immediately reminded me of the aftertaste of a sugar substitute (Splenda, I believe). This aftertaste turns sour after about a minute and it is thoroughly unpleasant in the mouth. This aftertaste persists for quite some time until one cleans their teeth or consumes something else entirely.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Fat Free is a supposedly-chocolate drink which is anything but flavorful. One serving - a single packet - has only 50 calories, none of which are from fat. As a truly fat free drink, this is a great beverage for dieters. This Fat Free hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (30% of the RDA!) and Iron (a mere 6% RDA), but it does have 180 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Fat Free is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are modified whey, nonfat milk, and cocoa. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher. It is not Vegan-compliant, obviously.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Fat Free mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in late March 2012, has an expiration date of February 25 2013, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Fat Free mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss Fat Free is inexpensive, but also not worth having. Dieters deserve a hot chocolate beverage that is better than this!

For other Swiss Miss hot chocolate reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Indulgent Collection Mocha Cappuccino
Indulgent Collection French Vanilla
Dark Chocolate Sensation

3.5/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

An Amazing Swiss Miss Cocoa: Mocha Cappuccino From The Indulgent Collection Is A New Favorite!

The Good: Tastes great, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging
The Basics: Delicious, though a little more expensive than most Swiss Miss products, Mocha Cappuccino is worth the extra price for fans of rich chocolate drinks!


Because I review so many hot chocolate products, it actually takes quite a bit these days to wow me with a new flavor of hot chocolate. And yet, despite that potentially daunting challenge, Swiss Miss has risen to the occasion again! Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Mocha Cappuccino is an amazing hot chocolate beverage and it is very easy to recommend.

The Indulgent Collection of Swiss Miss hot chocolates seems to be Swiss Miss's excuse to charge more for hot cocoa as the boxes tend to contain two to four fewer packages of cocoa for the same price or about fifty cents more. In the case of Mocha Cappuccino, it is well worth it, though I would still prefer a more environmentally responsible package.

Basics

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their premium Indulgent Collection line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard eight oz. box, containing eight one ounce packets of hot chocolate. Trading on the flavor of rich coffee-like mocha, as opposed to the usual milk chocolate, Swiss Miss created a deeper flavor for their hot chocolate drink. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a pretty wonderful hot chocolate beverage, likely to become a favorite with coffee drinkers and cocoa consumers alike!

Ease of Preparation

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot chocolate products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Mocha Cappuccino does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a delicious beverage.

Taste

The Mocha Cappuccino cocoa has a surprisingly light aroma. While the bouquet is very similar to a milk chocolate hot cocoa, it has a slight underscent of a darker chocolate or a coffee beverage. But those who have a strong scent memory will likely find the lighter chocolate scent to be inviting enough to want to sip the beverage.

The weak potential from the scent dissipates with that first sip. The Mocha Cappuccino cocoa is a rich, substantive beverage that tastes like a blend of dark chocolate hot cocoa and a good dark roast coffee. The taste starts off dry, but not harsh, with a slight sweetness to it that helps maintain the rich, chocolate flavor. The Mocha Cappuccino cocoa does have a slight dry aftertaste, but the beverage does not leave one feeling thirsty, which is pretty incredible.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino is a chocolately drink, so any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 110 calories, fifteen of which are from fat. With two grams of fat, this drink is not a great beverage choice for dieters, but it could be much, much worse. This Mocha Cappuccino hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 160 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and modified whey. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in early November 2011, has an expiration date in January 2013, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino is an amazing hot cocoa that should be stocked up on by anyone who loves both hot chocolate and coffee!

For other Swiss Miss hot chocolate reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Indulgent Collection French Vanilla
Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa
Indulgent Collection Dark Chocolate Sensation

9/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |

Surprisingly Weak, Swiss Miss French Vanilla Hot Cocoa Mix Is Not Enough To Recommend.

The Good: Tastes good, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Not the most robust flavor
The Basics: Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection French Vanilla cocoa is very much not what vanilla fans will fall in love with.


Swiss Miss Cocoa is one of the standard hot chocolate mixes in the United States. I generally like their premium products, though I find their standard milk chocolate cocoas to be a baseline product as opposed to any sort of superlative beverage. My wife loves french vanilla flavored drinks and so I picked up the Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection French Vanilla cocoa to please her and I have been drinking it whenever she lets me have a packet. Recently, I have tried Land O' Lakes Arctic White (reviewed here!) which I enjoyed and the same company's French Vanilla & Chocolate (reviewed here!), which left me less impressed. I think with the Indulgent Collection French Vanilla, I was hoping to find a less expensive version of a cocoa that was closer to the Arctic White. That didn't happen.

The Indulgent Collection of Swiss Miss hot chocolates seems to be Swiss Miss's excuse to charge more for hot cocoa as the boxes tend to contain two to four fewer packages of cocoa for the same price or about fifty cents more. In the case of French Vanilla, Swiss Miss left me unimpressed and I couldn't honestly recommend the package with only eight packets. And, as always, I would prefer a more environmentally responsible package.

Basics

Swiss Miss French Vanilla mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their premium Indulgent Collection line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard eight oz. box, containing eight one ounce packets of hot cocoa. Trading on the flavor of french vanilla, as opposed to the usual chocolate, Swiss Miss created a surprisingly bland hot drink. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a very bland drink that does not become more flavorful as it cools.

Ease Of Preparation

Swiss Miss French Vanilla mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot cocoa products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the French Vanilla does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a delicious beverage.

Taste

Swiss Miss French Vanilla smells exactly like what it is supposed, vanilla. The aroma is distinctive, with no hint of chocolate. The scent is vanilla, pure and simple.

The Indulgent Collection French Vanilla tastes good, but surprisingly bland. The best vanilla cocoas that I have had have had a sweetness to them that this beverage lacks. Instead, it is milky with a very dry taste and aftertaste. As a result, the drink is unsatisfying and not at all a thirst quencher. In fact, it is more bland than in any way "indulgent." The vanilla flavor is present but very mild.

Made with milk instead of water, the milk overwhelms the vanilla flavor and I used skim milk!

Nutrition

Swiss Miss French Vanilla is a vanilla drink which pretty much defines the muted flavor of vanilla, but any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 115 calories, fifteen of which are from fat. With one and a half grams of fat, this drink is not a bad beverage choice for dieters. This French Vanilla hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 180 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss French Vanilla is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and nonfat milk. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher. It is not Vegan-compliant, obviously.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss French Vanilla mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in late September 2011, has an expiration date in August 2012, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss French Vanilla mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss French Vanilla is inexpensive and while it is not bad, it does not have much to recommend it. It is far too bland and given how many good, affordable hot cocoa drinks there are on the market now, it is impossible to recommend one that is not as flavorful as others.

For other Swiss Miss reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Dark Chocolate Sensation
Milk Chocolate With Marshmallows
Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa

4/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

| | |

Very Average, Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix Still Satisfies In Its Standard Pack.

The Good: Tastes good
The Bad: Not the most environmentally impressive packaging, Not best chocolate flavor.
The Basics: A simple box of Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa is worth looking into for anyone who wants to drink good hot cocoa.


In the world of food and drink, there are some baselines, some obvious standards and it seems like I seldom encounter them because in years of consuming various food and drinks, I have refined my palate more than simply just accepting the basics. This is, at least, my hope, for I have no other real excuse for avoiding such things as plain milk chocolate hot cocoa. In one of my reviews - and later in one of my novels - I refer to black coffee as the missionary position of the coffee drinker's world. To extend the metaphor, milk chocolate flavored hot cocoa would be the missionary position of the hot cocoa world. Still, even within that baseline, there are better and worse experiences.

For my money, the only milk chocolate flavor hot cocoa I still buy is Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate flavored hot cocoa, which might seem odd given my panning of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate With Marshmallows (reviewed here!). There are better flavors, both by Swiss Miss and other companies, like Swiss Miss’s Dark Chocolate Sensation (reviewed here!) but for a good basic cup of milk chocolate hot cocoa, it is hard to go wrong with Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate hot cocoa.

Basics

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard ten oz. box, containing ten one-ounce packets of hot chocolate. Trading on the general flavor of milk chocolate, Swiss Miss establishes a decent - if average - baseline for hot cocoa drinkers. Anyone looking for a basic dessert beverage will find a lot to enjoy with this.

Ease Of Preparation

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot chocolate products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Milk Chocolate hot cocoa does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six to eight fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is that easy to make!

Taste

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate hot cocoa has a very good aroma to it, instantly preparing the consumer for a beverage that tastes like chocolate. The scent is mildly cocoa flavor and is scented recognizably like chocolate. Anyone who has ever had a milk chocolate candy bar will recognize the scent from chocolate on a warm day.

This milk chocolate flavored hot cocoa is very smooth. Hot, it tastes very milky with a bitter cocoa aftertaste. Interestingly enough, cooler drops licked off one's lips have a more sugary taste, which does not come across when the beverage is hot. This tastes like warmed chocolate milk and it is quite good. It also leaves for very little to be written about it; Swiss Miss lives up to its promise by providing a drink - with water or milk - that tastes like liquid milk chocolate.

As the beverage cools, the chocolate flavor comes out more, but the drink becomes far less of a satisfying thirst-quencher. This is a good comfort drink, though, and it is a close approximation of milk chocolate.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa is a chocolately drink, so any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 150 calories, twenty-five of which are from fat. With three grams of fat, this drink is not a dieter's beverage, but it could be worse. This Milk Chocolate flavored hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 190 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and modified whey. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets underwater, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in June 2009, has an expiration date in January 2011, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

A very average, but delicious, beverage, Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa forms an excellent baseline for those who want to drink hot cocoa and enjoy the experience!

For other hot chocolate drink reviews, please check out my takes on:
Nestles Chocolate Mint Hot Cocoa
Land O’Lakes Chocolate Supreme
Bigelow White Chocolate Kisses Tea

5/10

For other food and drink reviews, please click here to visit my index page!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

Why Pay For Something You're Not Getting?! Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate With Marshmallow Disappoints!

The Good: Tastes fine
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging, Marshmallows melt.
The Basics: Those who love marshmallows will be disappointed by Swiss Miss Marshmallow Hot Cocoa, where the marshmallows melt in order to make the drink!


There are many things that I enjoy, maybe even love (love in the real sense, not just "love" the way people throw that word around). I love good food and drink. I love the environment. I love my wife. I love my work. These are all things or people I have a passion for that excites me and gets me out of bed each morning. When I can combine those things, I find myself immeasurably happy. So, when I find something I love consuming that is environmentally responsible that I can write about and share with my wife, I feel like I've hit the motherload. Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow is the opposite of that.

I've avoided reviewing some things because what people want the product to be is not what it actually is, but people allow themselves to be blinded by that. Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow is one such product. This is a product that sells itself on possessing marshmallows, but is essentially Swiss Miss Milk Chocolate hot cocoa with tiny, hard marshmallows in each packet. The thing is, in order to get the chocolate powder mix to dissolve, the water temperature must be at a temperature which will cause the marshmallows to melt. In other words, this ends up tasting exactly like the Milk Chocolate hot cocoa. There are wonderful hot chocolate drinks with marshmallows where the marshmallows are kept separate so they do not melt while preparing the hot drink. Those tend to be the only ones, in my experience, where the consumer is left with marshmallows in the mug, as opposed to a marshmallowy sludge at the top rim. This, however, is not one of those fine products and those looking for marshmallows in their cocoa will only be disappointed by Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate With Marshmallows.

Basics

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard ten oz. box, containing ten one-ounce packets of hot chocolate. Trading on the general flavor of milk chocolate, Swiss Miss added about thirty tiny marshmallows (about 1/8" in diameter and 1/4" tall) to each packet. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, though, the marshmallows tend to melt as quickly as the powder dissolves, especially as agitation is necessary to get the mix to blend with the liquid to make the drink. This ends up being just as good as the basic hot cocoa mix, but it is still likely to underwhelm those who actually want marshmallows in their cocoa.

Ease Of Preparation

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot chocolate products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage, especially considering the marshmallows melt in hot water as well. Once the water is hot, simply pour six to eight fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is that easy to make!

Taste

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow has a very good aroma to it, instantly preparing the consumer for a beverage that tastes like chocolate. The scent is mildly cocoa flavor and is scented recognizably like chocolate. Anyone who has ever had a milk chocolate candy bar will recognize the scent from chocolate on a warm day. This is identical to the aroma of the standard milk chocolate hot cocoa because the product in the mug is identical to the basic powder mix.

This milk chocolate flavored hot cocoa is very smooth. Hot, it tastes very milky with a bitter cocoa aftertaste. Interestingly enough, cooler drops licked off one's lips have a more sugary taste, which does not come across when the beverage is hot. This tastes like warmed chocolate milk and it is quite good. It also leaves for very little to be written about it; Swiss Miss lives up to its promise by providing a drink - with water or milk - that tastes like liquid milk chocolate. It does not, however, taste like marshmallows or keep the marshmallows in the mug in a way that one might be able to enjoy them. Within seconds of making the drink, the marshmallows are gone.

As the beverage cools, the chocolate flavor comes out more, but the drink becomes far less of a satisfying thirst-quencher. This is a good comfort drink, though, and it is a close approximation of milk chocolate.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow is a chocolately drink with marshmallows, so any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 120 calories, eighteen of which are from fat. With two grams of fat, this drink is not a dieter's beverage, but it could be worse. This Marshmallow hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 170 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and modified whey. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in November 2009, has an expiration date in September 2011, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up and the marshmallows may easily be swept into a receptacle. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa With Marshmallow is an average hot cocoa, but one does not get the marshmallows they are promised unless they take the time to painstakingly pluck out the marshmallows before making it.

For other beverage reviews, please check out my takes on:
Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation Cocoa
The Simpsons Duff Energy Drink
Celestial Seasonings Almond Sunset tea

4/10

For other food and drink reviews, please be sure to visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |

Delicious And Strong, Dark Chocolate Sensation Should Be The New Standard For Hot Cocoa!

The Good: Tastes great, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging
The Basics: Delicious, though a little more expensive than most Swiss Miss products, Dark Chocolate Sensation is worth the extra price for fans of rich chocolate drinks!


Last year, I was woefully unprepared for the holidays in many ways. I didn't have any big meal plans; my wife and I spent our first Christmas and New Year's together celebrating with understated meals which we both enjoyed, but were far less memorable than the company we were keeping. As a result, it was entirely no surprise when my mother got us each several boxes of hot cocoa for the holidays. This was a great gift for my wife and I. For my wife, there was a large box of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate With Marshmallow and for me there were a few boxes of Swiss Miss Indulgent Collection Dark Chocolate Sensation.

The Indulgent Collection of Swiss Miss hot chocolates seems to be Swiss Miss's excuse to charge more for hot cocoa as the boxes tend to contain two to four fewer packages of cocoa for the same price or about fifty cents more. In the case of Dark Chocolate Sensation, that is almost worth it, though I would prefer a more environmentally responsible package.

Basics

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation mix is a hot chocolate mix put out by Swiss Miss as part of their premium Indulgent Collection line. The box of hot cocoa packets is a pretty standard ten oz. box, containing eight one and one-quarter-ounce packets of hot chocolate. Trading on the flavor of dark chocolate, as opposed to the usual milk chocolate, Swiss Miss created a richer flavored hot chocolate drink. When hot water or milk is combined with the powder, it makes a pretty wonderful hot chocolate beverage.

Ease of Preparation

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation mix is very easy to prepare, as most hot chocolate products are. Because each packet in the box is a single serving, one need only have a mug large enough to accommodate the powdered mix and some water with a little room for mixing it around. Because the powder has some mass to it before it is dissolved, I recommend using an 8 oz. mug.

Preparation is simple; empty the contents of a single packet from the box of eight into an eight ounce mug. Bring a pot of water to a near-boil - the Dark Chocolate Sensation does not require boiling water, just very hot water. Boiling the water does not cook the powder, so if one does boil the water, there is no adverse consequence to the beverage. Once the water is hot, simply pour six fluid ounces of water over the powder and stir it up. It is simple to transform the powder into a delicious beverage.

Taste

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation has an exceptional aroma to it, instantly preparing the consumer for a beverage that tastes like chocolate and a richer chocolate than the standard hot cocoa. The scent is strong cocoa flavor and this has an aroma that is on par with the scent of cocoa products from places like Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Caribou Coffee. This is the type of chocolate scent that is so concentrated that it almost smells like the chocolate scented candles and the like.

This dark chocolate cocoa is adequately named . . . to a point. The taste is smooth and strong, tasting like chocolate and milk, even when one makes it with water. This cocoa is rich and chocolatey like it is supposed to be and one would hope it would be coming in. The greatest difference between the flavor of this hot cocoa and every other regular chocolate cocoa I've bought that comes from a powder is that the Dark Chocolate Sensation does not have even a hint of watery flavor to it. Instead, it is powerfully chocolate right off the bat and it stays there. As it washes over all parts of the tongue, it is sweet and chocolate without any hint of watery weakness anywhere.

But for fans of dark chocolate, Dark Chocolate Sensation is a little underwhelming. Dark Chocolate Sensation is not bitter at all and the strength of the cocoa is that is it consistently rich and delicious more than ever tasting diluted.

As the beverage cools, the chocolate flavor comes out even more, but the beverage never takes on either the bitterness of dark chocolate or the watery quality most hot cocoas possess when they begin to cool.

Nutrition

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation is a chocolately drink, so any expectation that this is a beverage that is going to meet a lot of one's daily needs is fairly unrealistic. Still, there are worse beverages out on the market. One serving - a single packet - has 150 calories, thirty of which are from fat. With three and a half grams of fat, this drink is not a great beverage choice for dieters, but it could be worse. This Dark Chocolate hot cocoa has no cholesterol or any vitamin or mineral nutrients, outside calcium (which it has an impressive 30% of the RDA!), but it does have 170 mg of sodium. This is not a food to try to live off of.

It is hardly a surprise that Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation is not a nutritious food product considering that the primary ingredients are sugar, corn syrup, and cocoa. For those with allergies, it is noted on the package that the powder contains milk and there is no notation that this is gluten-free or kosher.

Storage/Clean-up

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation mix is ridiculously easy to store and clean up. Because the packets are individual servings and self-contained, as long as one does not store the packets in a wet environment, they will last. My box of cocoa, purchased in late December 2009, has an expiration date in October 2011, but it is hard to imagine this would not last past the expiration date so long as the packets inside are kept cool and dry.

Cleaning up Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation mix is easy, as it is a powder which may be easily brushed up. If one spills it after it is mixed with water, it is highly likely to stain lighter fabrics and one ought to consult one's fabric guide for cleaning if that happens. Mugs, though, clean right out with hot water as this fluid does not stain ceramics.

Overall

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation is a pretty wonderful chocolate-flavored beverage which is delicious, though a little more expensive than other Swiss Miss products. Even so, it is the best choice I've yet found for those who like dark chocolate flavor and hot cocoa at a reasonable price.

For other beverage reviews, please check out my reviews of:
Duff Energy Drink
Bigelow White Chocolate Kisses tea
Celestial Seasonings Sapphara Mango Ginger Green tea

7/10

For other food reviews, please visit my index page!

© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.



| | |